Paul McCartney gave his fans a wonderful early Christmas present with a magnificent gig at The O2 on 5 December. This was the fourth time I’d been lucky enough to see McCartney, and this was easily the best.
Macca doesn’t need support artists. Instead, people who took their positions early were treated to a video montage and remixes of some of his best known hits. Then, at 20:15, the man himself took the stage and set about wowing the audience for nigh on three full hours.
The setlist was fantastic. He started with Hello Goodbye, and finished, appropriately, with The End. In between we were treated with 35 other magnificent numbers.
My personal favourites of the night were The Word – with its segue into the chorus of All You Need is Love (played for the first time in the UK), Blackbird – played to an arena otherwise so quiet in which you’d otherwise hear a pin drop, and Junior’s Farm – a song which I’d hoped to see him do ever since seeing it appear on his earlier setlists of the same tour. However, my absolute favourite was a phenomenal rendition of Live and Let Die with stunning pyrotechnics, the heat of which raised the temperature in the room a fair few notches more!
McCartney was in a humble mood, purposefully soaking in the atmosphere at one point, which given the performance he put on for us, he was perfectly entitled to do. Marriage has clearly made him a happy man, and his performance was markedly better for it.
All in all a top night was had. If you haven’t already seen him live, do take the opportunity. He’s a living legend.
Frightened Rabbit, for example, blew me away at a Gomez concert. And I loved Pure Reason Revolution – whose last gigs I sadly missed this week – opening for Hope of the States.
Being a good support act to a popular main attraction can work wonders for a band’s profile. In fact, the mere fact that they were announced to open for Radiohead caused me to check out Other Lives’ output. And I tell you what – it’s worth checking out.
It’s because you often get introduced to great new discoveries this way that I love getting to a gig early, just in case.
What acts have you grown to love as a result of seeing them support someone else?
When I set about writing this blog, I was keen to make most of the posts positive. I’m about to break that unwritten rule.
This cover version – which I was able to tolerate only around a minute of – is overblown rubbish. Yes, the voices are in tune, and it’s based on a good song. But I don’t understand how people can eke any enjoyment out of this, and I challenge you to listen to the whole thing.
I am looking forward to the new Garbage album though – hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.
In the meantime, this is how it’s supposed to sound. I swear this come out earlier than 1998, mind:
That’s the question I’ve found myself pondering in the last 10 minutes or so, since stumbling on Gomez (or, as it sounds like, just Ben Ottewell) doing their (or his) version of Wichita Lineman.
Ben Ottewell released his own solo album – Shapes and Shadows – at the start of this year. Comprising of 9 songs, it’s a tidy album, but it’s lacking a certain something. Could it be the rest of his band mates?
Thom Yorke released a solo record, The Eraser a few years back. It’s good, but it’s not a patch on Radiohead’s output.
And what about David Gilmour, Roger Waters or Mark Knopfler? Has any of their solo output matched that of Pink Floyd or Dire Straits?
Here’s a challenge for you: name a solo artist that’s better on their own than they were in their band. I’ve got a few up my sleeve, but I’d like to see what you can come up with first.
What makes a good cover version? Is it authenticity to the original work, or taking the canvas of the original and painting over it with something entirely different?
I think there are good examples of both.
Mark Cox, regular commenter on this fine blog, recently introduced me to the mighty fine The Civil Wars. Check out this version of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. It’s completely different, an far more enticing than the original version in my humble opinion.
At the other end of the spectrum, I also recently enjoyed Weezer’s take on Radiohead’s Paranoid Android, which is quite authentic when you compare it to the original.
But, like any balanced individual, I reckon something in the middle often makes the best cover. Gomez’s rendition of Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine is simply wonderful.
It was a sad day for music fans yesterday, as REM – masters of their trade for 31 years – announced their untimely split.
My first introduction to the band was around 1994-1995. I was 13/14, and working diligently at Martins the Newsagent. One Saturday morning, as we loaded the Saturday papers with their weighty supplements, our manager at the time put on Out of Time. Instantly, I was hooked. Far from “the world collapsing around our ears,” Radio Song kicked off a love affair that continues to this day.
There are many stand out songs on that album, but Losing My Religion is definitely a favourite. I’ll never forget the moment at Glastonbury 2003 where Stipe dedicated the song to the crowd, exclaiming it as our song. We loved it.
Undoubtedly, I got hooked on REM at their commercial zenith. But over the years I’ve picked up all their albums, and I like each of them in their own right. True, certain elements of their recent output has disappointed – like the majority of Around the Sun – but even that had stand out songs like Final Straw, a protest song aimed squarely at George Bush.
I’m pleased they’ve bowed at at the top of another arc in their history. First Accelerate, then Collapse Into Now featured a band that doing what they did best.
We’ll miss you, REM, but we thank you for the music. Your back catalogue will stand the test of time and give hours of enjoyment to fans new and old for years to come.
Another year’s Mercury Music Prize winner has been announced and this year, a very worthy winner has been chosen. PJ Harvey’s album, Let England Shake, was by far the stand out album.
Lyrically, it’s not the most uplifting of albums. Far from it – it describes the realities of war vividly. In many ways it’s a protest against our disconnection from atrocities carried out on a daily basis in the name of war.
Musically, if you disconnect yourself from the lyrics it’s really quite uplifting in many ways.
A conflicting album then, but one that rewards repeated listens, PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake needs to be in your record collection.
It came, it happened and it already feels like it was a million years ago (OK, it nearly was considering how long it’s taken me to finish writing this blog). However, Glastonbury 2011 was my third favourite Glastonbury.
This year, to get things off a novel start, I was convinced to let the bus take the strain and get a coach from Victoria station. This meant getting up even earlier than I did last year – at 04:45 – in order to get the 05:42 train from Hertford to London.
Sunit and I arrived at Victoria to find large crowds of people queuing to get on the bus. We ended up boarding a bus at 07:45, only 15 minutes after we were supposed to depart.
Much to the disappointment of the excited masses aboard our (non) luxury coach, we stopped merely an hour or so into our journey at Fleet services – for 40 minutes!
Three hours later we made it to the hallowed turf of Worthy Farm. We were kicked off our bus, into the rain and the queue to get through pedestrian gate A. By 14:30 we’d met Vicky and Jess at the Dairy Ground and were pitching our tent.
After the obligatory stop off at the Brothers Bar for some pear cider, we made our way to our first musical interlude of the weekend: The Mighty Peas at the Bandstand. You’ll have to forgive me if I sound mushy about the experience, but due to a curfew, they only played five songs. Most disappointing – but what they did play was great.
Thursday is a bit of a blur now, but one of the highlights was investigating the Common, The Unfairground and other tucked away parts of the south east corner of the site during the day. The Wall of Death, featuring sideways motorcycles and an amazing atmosphere, was also well worth seeing.
After the obligatory Thursday night fun at the silent disco in The Park, the festival began in earnest on the Friday by seeing Metronomy on the Pyramid Stage. While their chest-mounted lights weren’t effective on the daylight-basked stage, they were able to muster a few decent tunes.
Next up, Two Door Cinema Club, who were excellent. I’ve never bought one of the their albums but their set and infectious upbeat tunes have encouraged me to check them out further.
After a bit of the Wu-Tang Clan – who aren’t my cup of tea – and Cage the Elephant – who were feedback-frenzied in the John Peel tent, Sunit and I found ourselves back at the Pyramid Stage for BB King.
BB King is a musical legend. In my mind, he would have been better placed in the firmly established Sunday afternoon legends slot on the Pyramid Stage, instead of Paul Simon. While I don’t know an awful lot of King’s music, I was suitably impressed by his style and his sheer ability at the tender age of 85. And boy, the man can still play guitar.
It was around this time in proceedings that we heard about Radiohead being ‘officially’ confirmed as playing The Park stage later that evening. Initially undeterred, we headed over to the John Peel stage for some obligatory I Am Kloot action. Their set was largely based on the highly-acclaimed Sky at Night album, but it was great to hear a few old classics like Bigger Wheels and 86 TVs for the die-hard Kloot aficionados.
Now, at this point, an already difficult decision was further complicated. Did I a) go and watch Fleet Foxes then Mumford & Sons as planned, b) stay at the John Peel for The Coral, or c) traipse over to The Park to (probably unsuccessfully) watch Radiohead. The choice, of course, was no question – any opportunity to see Radiohead had to be taken. This is where mayhem ensued.
As we slowly but steadily made our way through the thickening mud, passing the back of the Other Stage – hearing Fleet Foxes in harmonious heaven in the process – it was pretty clear that the vast majority of self-respecting music fans were heading up to The Park on the off chance of seeing Oxford’s finest quintet. Despite heading up there an hour before Radiohead were due to come on, we couldn’t get anywhere near the stage.
We decided to persevere, and sure enough out they came. They kicked off with Lotus Flower, and the set progressed with a number of tracks from their most recent two albums. This gig was always going to be about playing the majority of the King of Limbs. Unfortunately, the sound was completely under-powered and muffled, and we couldn’t really hear a thing. We decided to move on and left after five songs. At this point, we headed back to the tent, grabbed some supplies and made our way over to the Pyramid Stage for U2.
U2 get a lot of unfair criticism in my view. There are a lot of people that are very anti-Bono. While I too don’t particularly like the overly-political preaching he can be guilty of at gigs, I admire the way he’s used his status for good through promotion of the Red charity.
Despite pouring rain, Bono, The Edge et al did their best to lift the beleaguered crowd’s spirits – and they certainly lifted mine. If anything, Bono seemed a little restrained and almost humbled by the massive crowd in front of him. U2 let their music do the talking, and at this stage of the proceedings were undoubtedly my favourite act of the weekend.
U2 closed their set and it was time to find some more late night entertainment. Like the majority of other people on the site we headed for the new South East corner entrance but got put off by the alleged two and half hour queuing times to get into any of the Arcadia, Common or Unfairground fields. Instead, we stumbled across the Sound Sensations stage in the Theatre field, where a village disco was blaring out disco classics like Cotton Eye Joe, and a gathered throng of at least 20 people danced like lunatics in the pouring rain. Classic Glasto fun to bring Friday’s frolics to an end.
Saturday arrived, and got off to a late start with Yuck at the John Peel stage. They put on a good show, very guitar heavy sound that I’ll be looking to check out again.
After Yuck, a Saturday afternoon residency at The Park ensued, starting with Graham Coxon, then The Walkmen and finishing off with Tame Impala. Coxon was in a cheery mood and rattled through most of his big solo hits. There were a few noticable absentees though. The Walkmen were good, but as always, the biggest reaction came where they tore into their breakthrough hit The Rat. Last but not least, Tame Impala really impressed. At the time, without knowing their stuff, I felt they sounded like a young Pink Floyd. Since getting back and checking out their album I wouldn’t quite bestow them with that comparison, but they’ll still a very good, cerebral band in their own right that is well worth checking out.
As I exited, Radiohead-like levels of crowds spewed into The Park – which had now gained a one-way system to respond to the crushes caused at the entraces and exits for yesterday – to witness Pulp’s return to the fields of Avalon. I was content in the knowledge that Elbow were about to put on the show of their lives at the Pyramid, and content to miss another special guest slot.
Sure enough, Elbow put on a great show. Having purposefully avoided their own tour earlier in the year, I wasn’t too disappointed that the setlist had a heavy bias towards new album Build a Rocket Boys and success-delivering The Seldom Seen Kid. Musically, The Birds, Weather to Fly and of course, One Day Like This were all brilliant highlights. But the real star of the show was Guy Garvey, who had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the word go through voicing what we were feeling perfectly, and even downing half a pint on cue. We even forgave him for mistaking Glastonbury as only being two days of humanity-reaffirming fun. It’s five days of fun, of course.
The stage was set for Coldplay to entertain us. Elbow had warmed the crowd up perfectly, and a baying crowd expected. They weren’t disappointed. Despite being a new song heavy setlist, this was probably the best I’d ever seen them. In Shiver and Everything’s Not Lost, we were treated to a couple of old classics that hadn’t had an airing for a while. Plus, the new songs sounded like instant classics which we’d already heard countless times – always a good sign. In addition to being a great set musically, the light show, featuring lasers, a lit up Pyramid Stage and spotlights a plenty made it a spectacle that can only be experienced in the setting of Worthy Farm.
Two days of music down, one to go.
Sunday was kicked off with Jamie Woon at the Jazzworld (sorry, I mean West Holts) stage. Jamie was quite good, in the mould of James Blake, and perfect musical accompaniment to what proved to be the last Brothers cider of the weekend.
After he finished, we decided to head to the Green Futures field to recreate last year’s brilliant pizza. We heard The Wombles doing Remember.. we forgot to hang around.
Anyone that’s made a pizza in the clay oven of the Green Futures field will appreciate this already, but they really are the best tasting pizzas you’ll ever eat. Yes, you have to do the hard graft yourself, but it’s worth the wait. Seriously tasty nosh, although it does eat some time out of your day.
Full to the brim we headed to the Pyramid Stage for Paul Simon in the legend slot. He drew a huge crowd. In summary, although I don’t know an awful lot of his music, he was a little bit underwhelming.
The end of proceedings were drawing nearer, but not before a heavy-weight combination to finish courtesy of the Other Stage.
Eels, in a happy and jovial mood, but on one of my favourite shows of the weekend. E and his band were incredibly tight, and the setlist was very upbeat. I’d love to see him in this type of mood again.
Kaiser Chiefs, while not the most musically or lyrically high brow of bands, always put on a good live show. As the sunset on Glastonbury 2011, they didn’t disappoint this time either. In keeping with Coldplay, their new stuff sounded good too and might force me to buy some of their music for the first time in a long while.
My last gig of the weekend was Queens of the Stone Age, who’d asked their fans to vote for their setlist – and what a setlist they picked. Josh Homme and co put on a superb show which included all the classics. My highlight was Better Living Through Chemistry, though No One Knows was obviously immense.
After they finished we tried to grab some food. Lots of stalls were selling out – must have been a great weekend for the traders. Disappointing, this included the North African stall in West Holts, though I did manage to bag a free lamb and goats cheese parcel, which was delicious – just wished I’d discovered it earlier in the festival. Hopefully they’ll be back in 2012 and I can sample it properly then.
Sunrise at the Stone Circle
We headed for the Tiny Tea Tent and compared notes on another fabulous weekend. Before we knew it, it was 3am and I decided to fulfil another long-harboured Glastonbury ambition – seeing the sunrise from the Stone Circle. Sure enough, soon after 5am the moment came and a new dawn broke before us. It was a stunning end to a brilliant festival.
On reflection, I still feel that Coldplay were the surprise standout performers of the weekend, and while I didn’t discover as many new acts as I normally do, I’m quite happy having discovered Tame Impala, Stornoway (who I didn’t see there, but have enjoyed since) and songs I never knew existed in the Queens of the Stone Age back catalogue.
Glastonbury truly is a festival like no other. I’m not sure what I’ll do in its absence next year, but I doubt anything else will come close to beating it.
I first started writing this blog in April, then work got in the way. Prior to my Glastonbury summary – which was excellent – I thought I’d post my long-promised thoughts on the King of Limbs first.
It’s been a while since I first listened to The King of Limbs. In the time that’s passed, Radiohead’s latest effort has managed to win my affections.
There’s no denying that this is a slight departure for Radiohead. After In Rainbows, which referenced each of their previous albums, The King of Limbs moves the listener off in another evolutionary direction.
For starters, it’s short. 8 tracks long, totalling 34 minutes of music, is comparatively little next to previous Radiohead albums. However, just because it’s short doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.
Bloom kicks the album off. It’s organic both in name, as well as nature. It’s got a syncopated baseline, when it kicks in, but you have to wait a fair while before you can hear it among the off-kilter drum beat and the electronic bleeps that mask it.
Morning Mr. Magpie comes next. This songs first showed up during the Hail to the Thief sessions, and it sounds a lot different to how I’d imagined it to in its full band incarnation. A somewhat harried guitar line introduction kicks it off before a swirling hoot introduces the lyrics “You’ve got some nerve coming here”. There’s some good guitar noodling and the track largely impresses.
Next up, Little by Little – thankfully – isn’t an Oasis cover. It’s got duelling guitars, another cracking baseline and Thom suggesting he’s “such a tease” twice in the same song.
Feral has indecipheral lyrics. Musically, it sounds like an evolution to Kid A’s Idioteque. It serves as a good book end to the first half of the album.
The second half kicks off with Lotus Flower which contains the lyrics:
There’s an empty space inside my heart
Where the weeds take root
If Thom could only fill it with more music like this, we’d be on to a winner!
Codex, the sixth track, is a stunning song. It’s simple, progressive piano chords are quite enchanting. As the horns kick in around 2:20, it sounds completely dream like. It’s a very relaxing song to listen to, even if the lyrics are somewhat reflective and perhaps melancholic.
Give up the Ghost is a slight disappointment. After listening to Thom do this track live in Cambridge, I was expecting something more than what we got. The full band treatment is good, but I think it could have had a more complex arrangement.
The album finishes off with Separator, quite an optimistic track – with a nice and bright guitar outro that has the infamous lyric “if you think this is over then you’re wrong.”
Radiohead may have released a few more tracks after the rush-release of the album (including the quite brilliant Staircase), but I’m one listener who hopes that the promise given in Separator is yet to be fulfilled by another album.
Monday 14 February. Valentine’s Day. Lovers around the world showing signs of affection and buying gifts. This was also the day that Radiohead chose to share their latest present with their milions of adoring fans.
Their long awaited eigth album – The King of Limbs – will be making it’s overdue appearance imminently. This Saturday, 19 February, to be precise. Like a bouquet of flowers secreeted away from prying eyes, Radiohead kept their Valentine’s Day gift well under wraps. News of it’s release was more of a shock than an unexpected wedding proposal. However, for this Radiohead fan in particular, a very welcome one.
I really admire the intrigue that Radiohead have managed to maintain. Even though we now know the album’s coming, the track listing remains a complete mystery. Will it contain an old favourite, in the vein of In Rainbows’ Nude? I’d love to see a studio version of Big Boots or Follow Me Around.
When In Rainbows came out, there weren’t many tracks that hadn’t made an appearance in some shape or form in earlier road testing gigs. The biggest surprise was the re-imagined Reckoner. Selfishly, I’m hoping for a number of songs that we haven’t heard before. But I’m not going to complain if songs that Thom’s tested on the road – like Give up the Ghost and Skirting on the Surface – make the cut.
Whatever we’re going to get on Saturday, I suspect Radiohead are going to keep the official track listing secret right until The King of Limbs is released. Whatever songs it does contain, I’m confident that we’ll be in for a treat.
I look forward to giving you my considered verdict at some point next week. Happy listening, Radiohead fans!
Update
Now the album’s out, the official track listing is available. Here it is:
Another year’s Mercury Music Prize winner has been announced and this year, a very worthy winner has been chosen. PJ Harvey’s album, Let England Shake, was by far the stand out album.
All about moving moments in music.